For knowing more about Spacey Rock.But basically to have an heavenly trip into awesome music, really.

Being pretentious has always had a bitter taste to it when you talk about it in terms of music.But in reality being pretentious can be good, it is just that the result might not always be that.Spiritualized has always been considered very pretentious in their ways. Or should I say his way. Being so thatSpiritualized is and always will be, the work of one man. Jason Pierce.It is not easy to get an idea about Pierce. But when has it ever been easy to understand the genious' and excentrics in our world?He speaks through his music, so it is there we have to try and find the answer.

There have always been throughout musical history some songwriters that have had a vision and that have gone into thevision so much that they get almost too obsessive for their own good. Being so evolved into their work and ideas that onesingle line in a song could keep them up for five straight days and nights, just for trying to get that tiny perfection intoit. Jason Pierce is definitely one of those songwriters. He has changed his band members after every album, his marriage hascrashed and he has taken drugs just so that he can reach some kind of state of mind so that he could write the spiritualrock album he is set out to write. And he has done all this without a single thought of mercy. He is going to write that album. Even with all the sufferens.The album that is meant to be the perfect mix of gospel and space rock music. The one vein that was started by VelvetUnderground and their White Light/White Heat album.With such excentric thoughts and ways to reach the goal, it is almost destined to fail. To think otherwise would sound tooromantic in its ways. But with Let It Come Down Pierce has arrived, or at least come very close to his goal. The recordburns of intensity, that almost only the albums that has been made with the passion and excentrisims have. Like exactlyWhite Light/White Heat was so fulfilled with.If you compare Let It Come Down to the Spiritualized albums before, you hear that the album is really a straight progressionof what Ladies And Gentlemen.. was. It is more choirs, more orchestras, more colourful. Just even more beautiful.But the moods and the big universe is still wrapping its arms around the album.

The first single 'Stop Your Crying' showed that what a song is on paper is definitely not how the song can sound to one'sears. With lyrics about not losing hope and a massive string section behind the words, it gives you a feeling of over thetop ideas. But when you listen to it you realise that you could not have been more wrong. It builds and builds and just burstout in a beautiful hymn to life. To get a grip of yourself again and you feel that you have someone beside you, taking careof you. The single built up a massive longing for the album. With their last album 'Ladies And Gentlemen..' being a massive wall ofsounds and funk and soul and rock all mixed inside the world of Pierce's mind, Spiritualized had built up a pretty goodhype of their own for their follow up.

So with Let It Come Down Pierce creates that wonderful universe that lays within his musical vision.Wether you play the record loud during your day or quitely during your night, it takes you in. In to its world.

The album starts with a jolly piano line and 'do do do'-choirs and then bursts out into a full on gospel preaching. 'Let heaven flow into your soul' sings Jason with the black choir with their hands in the air agreeing.You don't know really what is actually happening. Just that you feel you have arrived to a gospel church deep in the southernUSA. And so it goes on, from gospel to soul to funk all over again. But this time, compared to 'Ladies and Gentlemen', itfeels a bit more grounded. Like Pierce has been on his space oddesy and now is coming in terms with his life down here onthis planet instead.And after the first song, On Fire, comes the first masterpiece. Do It All Over Again is so floating and warm that all you cando is to sit back and feel the hope in Pierce's voice. Which sings better than ever. It fits perfectly with the music thatSpiritualized are making. Soothing, aching and spacey.And so it goes on. The most ambitious song after the other.But the biggest hymn of them all is 'Lord Can You Hear Me?'. It is the closest that Jason Pierce gets to the heaven that doesnot exist.Even if the lyrics are sounding so very religious, about Jesus and heaven and so on. It never really feels like a christianrock album or similar. Because even if you do not believe in heaven, you feel heaven is in your hands if you want it. Heavenis what you want it to be. Without a God, Pierce is the one set out to give you the hope, set out to reach that state of mind.The gospel nerves surrounding the entire album is always near and very vivid and intense.You feel that in any moment you could be going down on your knees and just surrender to the high powers. To put your handsabove your head and give in. Give in to the power that is in music.

Pierce's lyrics are at moments so pure and naked and touches your inner soul with so much power. They are also very optimistic from time to time as seen in Do It All Over Again. "You gotta hope for the best and the best looks great now baby".Another thing that makes Let It Come Down to such a fantastic album is the variety. The tiny detail in every arrangment.From a soothing bed hymn that suddenly breaks into an exploding musical journey (Out Of Sight). It is always on the vergeof being bombastic and too big for the songs themselfs. But it always stays on the fine line. On the right side of fantastic.In times of easy listening pop going through the radio waves you feel blessed to have such an album as Let It Come Down inyour possession. When all you hear is nothing for your brain, you have Pierce singing to you instead. Giving you the hope ina world that is heading for an unknown future.The album is timeless but I hope Jason Pierce will keep on with his journey. And I hope he knows that he has reached some souls with his music. And that he took those souls on a wonderful journey too.To the heaven that no one knows, but loves.

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Mikael 10/10

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Let It Come Down classy cover

They must love Poser I guess. And Art Deco.

Biography

Spiritualized was formed after the break up of the band Spacemen 3, which with its rock pshycedelia earned some praise.Spiritualized released in 1991 a couple of EP's and in 1992 they released their debut album called Lazer Guided Melodies.After the release of the album some of the members were thrown out of the band and it became more clearer thatthe singer and songwriter Jason Pierce were the chief of the band in total.Set out to create his vision.In 1993 they released a live cd, Fucked Up Inside, and followed it up in 1995 with Pure Phase. A more heavy sounding album recorded withseperate mixes from each stereo channel.And after yet another band member change Spiritualized recorded Ladies And Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space which wasreleased in 1997.Their biggest success to date was delivered in a special box looking like a medicine. It featured several different guestmusicicans such as Dr. John and a Gospel Choir.In 1998 a double live CD recorded during their Royal ALbert Hall concert, was released and after three years out of the spotlight Pierce returned, with of course, a new setof band members, and Spiritualized released Let It All Come Down in 2001.Currently they are on tour.

Even though Spiritualized has never given many interviews or rarely any massive promotion they have a strong following ofsupporters. Both fans and journalists all rank them very highly.Spiritualized is Jason Pierce and as corny as it sounds, Jason Pierce is Spiritualized.On his road to his vision the members has been changed but the goal has always remained clear.And every concert is a little religious meeting, between fans and Spiritualized.Name-wise it is probably one of the most suiting names the band could have taken.Spirit is all what it is about.